EASTERN STORK CONSERVATION CENTER
To begin with, the centre offers a video (available in French) that explains how the white stork of Japan disappeared from the archipelago from 1971 to 2005 and why its reintegration was so difficult. During the post-war period, intensive wood cutting and the use of chemicals in farming gradually destroyed the natural environment of the Japanese White Stork and in 1971, they disappeared from the sky of Toyooka. Kojiro Matsushima, an inhabitant of the region, refusing to see the species become extinct, opened the first breeding centre. Unfortunately poisoned by pesticides, the storks he bred were unable to reproduce. In 1985, the centre housed six Soviet specimens and in 1989, the first birth in captivity took place. It was not until 2005 that storks were finally released into the skies over Toyooka. Today, there are more than 200 storks in the region. The disappearance of the storks, an auspicious animal in Japan, has made the inhabitants of Toyooka aware of the importance of preserving their environment. In order to successfully reintegrate them into society, eco-responsible farming techniques have been introduced and organic farming has been developed. One of the flagship products is the organic rice Kōnotori (stork rice). The centre tells this beautiful story and is worth a visit. It is possible, with a bit of luck, to observe storks near the centre.
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